Beijing: A Chinese fighter jet crashed in a southern Chinese city on Tuesday, sparking a fire that injured at least four people, the defence ministry announced.

The Jian-7 fighter plane belonging to the Chinese air force crashed while on a training exercise today morning near the airport in Shantou city, Guangdong province, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The plane ploughed into a residential building in Shantou, resulting in injuries to four people, it said.

The pilot was able to parachute safely to the ground, it added.

An investigation into the accident has been launched.

Media citing local firefighters at the scene, said three of the injured were hospitalised.

Photos from the scene posted on web portal Sina.com showed a dislodged wing of the jet next to a burning building as thick smoke billowed from the crash site.

The Jian-7 is a Chinese-built version of the Russian MiG-21, which was first introduced in the 1950s.